JP5643775B2 - Imaging apparatus, program, and imaging method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus, a program, and a method for photographing a vehicle to be exhibited at an auction.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in auctions for vehicles such as used cars, information on vehicles exhibited in the auction is provided to auction participants (bidders). For example, images taken of vehicles to be auctioned are displayed on a large screen provided at the auction site, or can be viewed on an auction site on the Internet. Has been. For this reason, the image of the exhibited vehicle is not the one in the image that is too small or protruded from the image. It is necessary to have a size that can sufficiently confirm the appearance of the vehicle.

  An image of a vehicle to be exhibited at an auction is taken, for example, at a photography studio provided at an auction site. In this photography studio, the exhibition vehicle is photographed as follows. First, an operator drives the exhibition vehicle to move it to a predetermined position (photographing position) in the photographing studio. Next, the worker who was waiting in the shooting studio adjusts the tilt, pan, zoom, etc. of the camera so that the exhibited vehicle fits within the shooting range of the camera. Take a picture. The image of the exhibited vehicle photographed here is stored in a predetermined server, for example. Then, when the shooting is completed, the worker drives the exhibition vehicle and moves it out of the shooting studio. Such a series of operations is repeatedly performed for each vehicle to be exhibited in the auction.

  In addition, the following systems are known regarding the technique of photographing a vehicle to be exhibited at an auction. For example, there is a system that images a vehicle displayed in an exhibition hall, and when the presence of the vehicle is detected in a vehicle arrangement space, the vehicle is imaged (see, for example, Patent Document 1). . In addition, for example, in a used car auction system, a sensor detects that a traveling vehicle has reached a video shooting location, and then the still image is shot when the vehicle stops at the still image shooting location. A system is known (for example, see Patent Document 2).

JP 2010-219975 A JP 2003-162653 A

  There are the following problems in the shooting of exhibited vehicles performed at the shooting studio provided in the auction hall described above. First, since the camera adjustment work is performed manually by an operator, there is a problem that the time required for the camera adjustment becomes long. At the same time, there is a problem that the burden on workers is heavy.

  In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide an imaging device, a program, and an imaging method that reduce the time required for camera adjustment and eliminate the need for manual camera adjustment work. .

  According to one aspect of the apparatus, the imaging apparatus is a vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires vehicle information of a vehicle to be imaged by an imaging unit provided at a predetermined position, and the vehicle acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit. A first adjustment unit that performs rough adjustment of the photographing unit based on the information, and a vehicle in the photographed image photographed by the photographing unit is included in an inner region surrounded by the first frame region in the photographed image. And second adjustment for finely adjusting the photographing unit so that a part of the vehicle in the photographed image overlaps with a part of the second frame region smaller than the first frame region in the photographed image. A section.

  According to one aspect of the program, vehicle information of a vehicle to be imaged by an imaging unit provided at a predetermined position is acquired by a computer that is an imaging device, and rough adjustment of the imaging unit is performed based on the vehicle information. The vehicle in the photographed image photographed by the photographing unit is included in the internal region surrounded by the first frame region in the photographed image, and a part of the vehicle in the photographed image is the first image in the photographed image. This is a program for executing processing for performing fine adjustment of the photographing unit so as to overlap with a part of a second frame region smaller than the frame region.

  According to one aspect of the method, a computer that is a photographing device acquires vehicle information of a vehicle to be photographed by a photographing unit provided at a predetermined position, and performs rough adjustment of the photographing unit based on the vehicle information. The vehicle in the photographed image photographed by the photographing unit is included in the internal region surrounded by the first frame region in the photographed image, and a part of the vehicle in the photographed image is the first image in the photographed image. This is a photographing method for executing processing in which fine adjustment of the photographing unit is performed so as to overlap with a part of a second frame region smaller than the first frame region.

  The disclosed apparatus, program, and method have the effect of reducing the time required for camera adjustment and eliminating the need for manual camera adjustment work by an operator.

It is a figure which shows an example of the imaging | photography system containing the imaging device which concerns on one embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the imaging | photography studio to which the imaging | photography system was applied. It is a figure which shows the structural example of an imaging device. It is a figure which shows an example of the exhibition vehicle information table memorize | stored in vehicle DB. It is a figure which shows an example of the vehicle type master table memorize | stored in vehicle DB. It is a figure which shows an example of the imaging | photography reference | standard master table memorize | stored in vehicle DB. It is a figure which shows an example of the reference | standard image table memorize | stored in vehicle DB. It is a flowchart which shows the operation example of an imaging | photography system. It is a figure which shows an example of the reference | standard image and monitoring image which were compared by S105. It is a figure which shows an example of the some monitoring image compared by S106. It is a flowchart which shows the process example of a camera rough adjustment process (S103). It is a flowchart which shows the process example of a camera fine adjustment process (S107). It is a figure which shows the specific example of a part of process of the camera fine adjustment process shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of a computer system.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
In the following description, an example in which a shooting system including a shooting device according to an embodiment is applied to a shooting studio provided in an auction hall of a vehicle such as a used car will be described. You may apply to the photography studio provided in the place.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an imaging system including an imaging apparatus according to the present embodiment.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, the imaging system 100 includes an imaging device 200, a vehicle DB (database) 300, an image DB 400, and a camera 500 according to the present embodiment.

The camera 500 is an example of a photographing unit.
The imaging device 200 controls the overall operation of the imaging system 100.
The vehicle DB 300 stores an exhibition vehicle information table, a vehicle type master table, a shooting reference master table, a reference image table, and the like which will be described later.

  The image DB 400 stores an image of the exhibited vehicle photographed by the camera 500, a reference image described later, and the like. In addition, the image of the exhibition vehicle memorize | stored in image DB400 is an image provided to an auction participant later, for example by displaying on the large screen provided in the auction hall.

  The camera 500 is provided at a predetermined position in the shooting studio and performs shooting under the control of the shooting apparatus 200. The camera 500 also performs tilt, pan, zoom, and the like under the control of the photographing apparatus 200.

  In the imaging system 100, the imaging device 200 may include one or more of the vehicle DB 300, the image DB 400, and the camera 500. In addition, the imaging system 100 may include a plurality of cameras 500 without being limited to one.

  The imaging system 100 may be connected to a network, and data may be transmitted and received between the imaging device 200, the vehicle DB 300, and the image DB 400 and an external device connected to the network.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a shooting studio to which the shooting system 100 is applied.
In the photographing studio 600 shown in FIG. 2, the photographing apparatus 200 is in the vicinity of the vehicle entrance of the photographing studio 600, and an operator who drives and moves the exhibition vehicle gets an exhibition number for the photographing apparatus 200 without getting off. It is provided at a position where input is possible. The exhibition number is an example of an identifier of the exhibition vehicle. The camera 500 is provided at a position for photographing the right front of the exhibition vehicle that has stopped at a predetermined position (photographing position) in the photographing studio 600. The vehicle DB 300 and the image DB 400 are provided outside the shooting studio 600. Arrows 610 and 620 indicate the moving direction of the exhibited vehicle in the photographing studio 600.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the image capturing device 200.
As illustrated in FIG. 3, the photographing apparatus 200 includes a control unit 210, a frame area information storage unit 220, and an input / output unit 230.

  The control unit 210 controls the overall operation of the image capturing apparatus 200. The control unit 210 includes a vehicle information acquisition unit 211, a camera information acquisition unit 212, a reference image acquisition unit 213, a monitoring image acquisition unit 214, a first camera adjustment unit 215, and a second camera adjustment unit 216.

  The camera information acquisition unit 212 is an example of a setting information acquisition unit. The first camera adjustment unit 215 is an example of a first adjustment unit, and the second camera adjustment unit 216 is an example of a second adjustment unit.

  The vehicle information acquisition unit 211 acquires vehicle information of the vehicle from the vehicle DB 300. For example, the vehicle information acquisition unit 211 acquires the vehicle information of the exhibition vehicle from the vehicle DB 300 according to the exhibition number of the exhibition vehicle to be photographed by the camera 500.

  The camera information acquisition unit 212 acquires camera information from the camera 500. For example, the camera information acquisition unit 212 acquires setting information including information such as tilt, pan, and zoom values set in the camera 500 from the camera 500 as camera information.

  The reference image acquisition unit 213 acquires a reference image corresponding to the setting information acquired by the camera information acquisition unit 212 from the image DB 400. The reference image is a captured image captured by the camera 500 based on the corresponding setting information and does not include a vehicle in the image. That is, the reference image is an image that is captured in a state where no vehicle exists within the capturing range of the camera 500. The reference image has the same image size as a monitoring image described later.

  The monitoring image acquisition unit 214 acquires a monitoring image captured by the camera 500. The monitoring image is captured at a predetermined frame rate (for example, 10 frames / second) by the camera 500 while the image capturing system 100 is activated, and the display screen of the output unit (display unit) included in the input / output unit 230, for example. It is an image displayed on the screen. Therefore, the monitoring image is different from the image of the exhibited vehicle stored in the image DB 400.

  The first camera adjustment unit 215 performs rough adjustment of the camera 500 by controlling the tilt, pan, zoom, and the like of the camera 500 based on the vehicle information acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit 211.

  The second camera adjustment unit 216 includes a vehicle in the monitoring image captured by the camera 500 in an internal region surrounded by a first frame region described later in the monitoring image, and a part of the vehicle in the monitoring image. The camera 500 is finely adjusted by controlling the tilt, pan, zoom, etc. of the camera 500 so as to overlap a part of a second frame area described later in the monitoring image.

  The frame area information storage unit 220 stores information on N frame areas having different sizes such as a first frame area, a second frame area, a third frame area,... An Nth frame area. The N frame regions are a first frame region, a second frame region, a third frame region,..., An Nth frame region in descending order of frame region size (for example, inner diameter dimension). The information of each frame region is information that defines the frame region in the monitoring image and information that defines the frame region in the reference image, and is information such as coordinates that define the frame region, for example.

The first frame region and the second frame region are determined based on the following criteria. That is, the vehicle in the monitoring image is included in the internal region surrounded by the first frame region in the monitoring image, and a part of the vehicle in the monitoring image overlaps with a part of the second frame region in the monitoring image. In addition, the first frame region and the second frame region are determined so that when the camera 500 is controlled to control the tilt, pan, and zoom, the captured image becomes the following image. ing. The image does not mean that the vehicle in the image is too small or protrudes from the image. The entire vehicle fits in the image reasonably and the auction participants have a sufficient appearance of the vehicle. It is an image of a size that can be confirmed.
The input / output unit 230 includes an input unit such as a keyboard and an output unit such as a display unit.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the exhibition vehicle information table stored in the vehicle DB 300.
As shown in FIG. 4, the exhibition vehicle information table includes information associated with “exhibition number”, “maker code”, “maker name”, “vehicle model code”, “vehicle model name”, and the like. The “exhibition number” is an identifier of the exhibition vehicle to be exhibited in the auction. “Manufacturer code” is an identifier of a manufacturer name. “Vehicle type code” is an identifier of a vehicle type name.

In the exhibition vehicle information table shown in FIG. 4, for example, an exhibition vehicle whose “exhibition number” is “000001” is “maker code”, “manufacturer name”, “vehicle model code”, “vehicle model name” is “001”, It is shown that “XX”, “048000”, and “◯ △ ○ △”.
The exhibition vehicle information table is referred to by, for example, the vehicle information acquisition unit 211, and the vehicle information acquisition unit 211 acquires a manufacturer code and a vehicle type code corresponding to the exhibition number.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a vehicle type master table stored in the vehicle DB 300.
As shown in FIG. 5, the vehicle type master table includes “manufacturer code”, “vehicle type code”, “vehicle type name”, “vehicle height”, “vehicle width”, “full length”, “reference type 1”, “reference type”. Information associated with “type 2” or the like. “Vehicle height”, “vehicle width”, “full length”, “reference type 1”, and “reference type 2” are information on the external dimensions of the vehicle. “Vehicle height”, “vehicle width”, and “total length” are the vehicle height, vehicle width, and total length of the vehicle. “Standard type 1” indicates a type (“normal vehicle”, “truck”, etc.) when the vehicle is classified according to the first standard. “Standard type 2” indicates a type (“A”, “B”, “C”, etc.) when the vehicle is classified according to the second standard.

  In the vehicle type master table shown in FIG. 5, for example, a vehicle whose “maker code” and “vehicle type code” are “001” and “048000” is “vehicle type name”, “vehicle height”, “vehicle width”, “total length”. ”,“ Reference type 1 ”, and“ reference type 2 ”are“ ◯ △ ◯ △ ”,“ 1500 ”,“ 1695 ”,“ 3885 ”,“ ordinary vehicle ”, and“ A ”.

  The vehicle type master table is referred to by, for example, the vehicle information acquisition unit 211, and the vehicle information acquisition unit 211 acquires the reference type 1 and the reference type 2 corresponding to the manufacturer code and the vehicle type code.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the imaging reference master table stored in the vehicle DB 300.
As shown in FIG. 6, the imaging reference master table includes “reference type 1”, “reference type 2”, “setting information (tilt)”, “setting information (pan)”, “setting information (zoom)”, and the like. Includes the associated information. “Setting information (tilt)”, “setting information (pan)”, and “setting information (zoom)” are values of tilt, pan, and zoom of the camera 500.

  In the imaging reference master table shown in FIG. 6, for example, “reference information (tilt)” and “setting information” of the camera 500 corresponding to “standard type 1” and “reference type 2” corresponding to “normal vehicle” and “A”. “Pan” and “Setting information (zoom)” are “20 degrees”, “120 degrees”, and “5.1 times”.

  In the imaging reference master table, the tilt and pan of the camera 500 according to “setting information (tilt)”, “setting information (pan)”, and “setting information (zoom)” corresponding to “reference type 1” and “reference type 2”. After the zoom is adjusted, when the vehicle of “reference type 1” and “reference type 2” that stops at a predetermined position (photographing position) in the photographing studio 600 is photographed by the camera 500, photographing at that time The association is performed so that the vehicle in the image is included in the internal region surrounded by the first frame region in the captured image.

  The imaging reference master table is referred to by, for example, the vehicle information acquisition unit 211, and the vehicle information acquisition unit 211 sets setting information (tilt), setting information (pan), setting information (zoom) according to the reference type 1 and the reference type 2. ) Is acquired.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a reference image table stored in the vehicle DB 300.
As shown in FIG. 7, the reference image table includes information associated with “setting information (tilt)”, “setting information (pan)”, “setting information (zoom)”, “reference image file name”, and the like. including. The “reference image file name” is the file name of the reference image.

  In the reference image table shown in FIG. 7, for example, “setting information (tilt)”, “setting information (pan)”, and “setting information (zoom)” are “20 degrees”, “120 degrees”, “5.1”. The “reference image file name” corresponding to “double” is “20-120-5_1.jpg”.

  In the reference image table, after the tilt, pan, and zoom of the camera 500 are adjusted according to “setting information (tilt)”, “setting information (pan)”, and “setting information (zoom)”, the vehicle is placed in the shooting studio 600. The “reference image file” corresponding to the “setting information (tilt)”, “setting information (pan)”, and “setting information (zoom)” as the file name of the photographed image taken by the camera 500 in a nonexistent state Correspondence is made so as to be “name”.

  For example, the reference image table is referred to by the vehicle information acquisition unit 211, and the vehicle information acquisition unit 211 acquires the reference image file name corresponding to the setting information (tilt), the setting information (pan), and the setting information (zoom). Is done. For example, the reference image with the reference image file name acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit 211 is acquired from the image DB 400 by the reference image acquisition unit 213.

Next, an operation example of the photographing system 100 applied to the photographing studio 600 shown in FIG. 2 will be described.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the photographing system 100.

  In this flowchart, S101, S103, S105 to S111 except S102, S104, and S112 are operations performed under the control of the control unit 210 of the photographing apparatus 200.

  As shown in FIG. 8, when this operation is started, the control unit 210 waits for an entry number input via the input unit included in the input / output unit 230 of the photographing apparatus 200 (S101). Further, the control unit 210 controls the camera 500 to start capturing a monitoring image at a predetermined frame rate (for example, 10 frames / second). Note that monitoring image capturing is continued until this operation ends, for example, except during the processing of S108 described later. The captured monitoring image is displayed on a display screen of an output unit (display unit) included in the input / output unit 230 under the control of the control unit 210, for example.

  Thereafter, the operator drives the exhibition vehicle to be photographed, moves and stops the exhibition vehicle to the vicinity of the vehicle entrance of the photography studio 600, and inputs the exhibition vehicle via the input unit included in the input / output unit 230. An exhibition number is input (S102). As a result, the exhibition number is input to the control unit 210.

  When the exhibition number is input to the control unit 210, the control unit 210 performs a camera rough adjustment process (S103). The details of the camera coarse adjustment processing will be described later with reference to FIG. 11, but the control unit 210 controls the tilt, pan, zoom, and the like of the camera 500 based on the input exhibition number, for example. Make coarse adjustments.

  On the other hand, the worker who has finished inputting the exhibition number drives the exhibition vehicle to move the exhibition vehicle to a predetermined position (photographing position) in the photography studio 600 and stops the exhibition vehicle (see FIG. 2). (See arrow 610) is started (S104). As a result, the entry vehicle enters the predetermined position (photographing position) of the photographing studio 600.

  After S103, the control unit 210 determines whether the exhibition vehicle has entered the shooting range of the camera 500 (S105), and repeats the determination until the determination result is Yes.

  The determination in S105 is performed as follows, for example. First, the camera information acquisition unit 212 of the control unit 210 includes information such as tilt, pan, and zoom values set in the camera 500 (setting information (tilt), setting information (pan), setting information (zoom), and the like. Information) is acquired from the camera 500. Subsequently, the reference image acquisition unit 213 of the control unit 210 refers to the reference image table of the vehicle DB 300, and the setting information (tilt), setting information (pan), and setting information (zoom) acquired by the camera information acquisition unit 212. ) Is acquired. Subsequently, the reference image acquisition unit 213 acquires a reference image with the reference image file name from the image DB 400. Subsequently, the monitoring image acquisition unit 214 of the control unit 210 acquires the monitoring image captured by the camera 500 at this time. Then, the control unit 210 compares the reference image acquired by the reference image acquisition unit 213 with the monitoring image acquired by the monitoring image acquisition unit 214, and if both are the same, the determination result in S105 is No. If the two are not the same, the determination result in S105 is Yes. For example, when a part or all of the exhibited vehicle is included in the monitoring image acquired by the monitoring image acquisition unit 214, the monitoring image and the reference image acquired by the reference image acquisition unit 213 are the same. Therefore, the determination result in S105 is Yes.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of the reference image and the monitoring image compared in S105. In the example illustrated in FIG. 9, since the monitoring image 710 acquired by the monitoring image acquisition unit 214 includes a part of the vehicle, the reference image 720 and the monitoring image 710 acquired by the reference image acquisition unit 213 are included. This is not the same, and the determination result in S105 is Yes.

  Returning to FIG. 8, when the determination result in S105 is Yes, the control unit 210 determines whether or not the exhibition vehicle has stopped (S106), and repeats the determination until the determination result becomes Yes. .

  Note that the determination in S106 is performed as follows, for example. That is, the monitoring image acquisition unit 214 of the control unit 210 acquires a plurality of time-sequential monitoring images captured at this time (for example, a plurality of monitoring images captured within a predetermined time), and the plurality of monitoring images. If all of them are the same, the determination result in S106 is Yes, and if not, the determination result in S106 is No. For example, when a plurality of monitoring images are shot in a moving state before the exhibition vehicle stops at a predetermined position (shooting position) in the shooting studio 600, all of the plurality of monitoring images are not the same. The determination result in S106 is No.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a plurality of monitoring images compared in S106. In the example shown in FIG. 10, a plurality of (X) monitoring images are captured in a state where the exhibition vehicle is stopped at a predetermined position (photographing position) in the photographing studio 600. All are the same, and the determination result in S106 is Yes.

  Returning to FIG. 8, when the determination result in S106 is Yes, the control unit 210 performs a camera fine adjustment process (S107). The details of the camera fine adjustment processing will be described later with reference to FIG. 12. However, for example, the control unit 210 surrounds the exhibition vehicle in the monitoring image captured by the camera 500 with the first frame region in the monitoring image. The camera 500 is controlled to tilt, pan, zoom, etc. so that a part of the exhibited vehicle in the monitoring image overlaps with a part of the second frame region in the monitoring image. Make fine adjustments.

  When the camera fine adjustment process is completed, the control unit 210 performs a shooting process (S108), an image processing process (S109), and an image storage process (S110). In the photographing process (S108), the control unit 210 controls the camera 500 to photograph an image of the exhibition vehicle at a predetermined high resolution (for example, a resolution suitable for providing to the auction participant). In the image processing (S109), the control unit 210 performs predetermined image processing such as resizing on the image of the exhibition vehicle photographed by the camera 500. In the image storage process (S110), the control unit 210 stores the image on which the image processing process of S109 has been performed in the image DB 400. The image of the exhibition vehicle stored in the image DB 400 in this manner is provided to the auction participant by, for example, being displayed on a large screen provided at the auction site later.

  When the image storage process ends, the control unit 210 performs a shooting completion notification process (S111). In the shooting completion notification process, the control unit 210 notifies the user that the shooting of the exhibited vehicle has been completed, visually or audibly, using a display, a buzzer, or the like.

The worker who has confirmed this notification drives the exhibited vehicle for which photographing has been completed and moves the exhibited vehicle out of the photographing studio 600 (see arrow 620 in FIG. 2) (S112). As a result, the exhibited vehicle that has finished shooting exits the shooting studio 600.
After S111, the process returns to S101.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a processing example of the camera rough adjustment processing (S103).
As shown in FIG. 11, when this process is started, the vehicle information acquisition unit 211 of the control unit 210 is input in S102 of FIG. 8 with reference to the exhibition vehicle information table (see FIG. 4) of the vehicle DB 300. A manufacturer code and a vehicle type code corresponding to the exhibition number are acquired (S201).

  Subsequently, the vehicle information acquisition unit 211 refers to the vehicle type master table (see FIG. 5) of the vehicle DB 300, and the vehicle outer dimension information (reference type 1, reference type) corresponding to the manufacturer code and vehicle type code acquired in S201. 2) is acquired (S202).

  Subsequently, the vehicle information acquisition unit 211 refers to the imaging reference master table (see FIG. 6) of the vehicle DB 300, and sets information corresponding to the vehicle outer dimension information (reference type 1, reference type 2) acquired in S202. (Tilt), setting information (pan), and setting information (zoom) are acquired (S203).

Subsequently, the first camera adjustment unit 215 of the control unit 210 tilts the camera 500 based on the setting information (tilt), setting information (pan), and setting information (zoom) acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit 211. , Pan and zoom are controlled (S204). For example, when the setting information (tilt), setting information (pan), and setting information (zoom) are 20 degrees, 120 degrees, and 5.1 times, the tilt, pan, and zoom of the camera 500 are set as such. Is done.
After S204, this process ends and the process returns.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a processing example of the camera fine adjustment processing (S107).
As shown in FIG. 12, when this process is started, the camera information acquisition unit 212 of the control unit 210 includes information (setting information (tilt), setting values, etc.) set to the camera 500 such as tilt, pan, and zoom values. Setting information including information (information such as information (pan) and setting information (zoom)) is acquired from the camera 500 (S301).

Subsequently, the reference image acquisition unit 213 of the control unit 210 refers to the reference image table (see FIG. 7) of the vehicle DB 300, and the setting information (tilt) and setting information (setting information (acquired by the camera information acquisition unit 212) acquired in S301. Pan), a reference image file name corresponding to setting information (zoom) is acquired, and a reference image of the reference image file name is acquired from the image DB 400 (S302).
Subsequently, the monitoring image acquisition unit 214 of the control unit 210 acquires a monitoring image captured by the camera 500 at this time (S303).

  Subsequently, the second camera adjustment unit 216 of the control unit 210 determines the first frame region in the reference image acquired in S302 based on the first frame region information read from the frame region information storage unit 220. The partial image is compared with the partial image of the first frame region in the monitoring image acquired in S303, and it is determined whether or not the partial images are the same (S304). For example, when the entire exhibited vehicle in the monitoring image is included in the internal region surrounded by the first frame region in the monitoring image, the determination result in S304 is Yes, and one of the exhibited vehicles in the monitoring image is displayed. If the part overlaps a part of the first frame region in the monitoring image, the determination result in S304 is No.

  In the normal time, since the camera rough adjustment process is performed in S103 in FIG. 8, the determination result in S304 is Yes, but from the end of the process in S103 to the start of the process in S304. In addition, for example, there may be a case where the orientation of the camera 500 changes due to, for example, another worker touching the camera 500 by mistake. Therefore, in this process, the determination of S304 is provided in preparation for such a case.

When the determination result in S304 is No, the second camera adjustment unit 216 controls the tilt and pan of the camera 500 according to the positions of different portions between the two partial images (S305). For example, when the different part between the two partial images is the right part, the second camera adjustment unit 216 controls panning of the camera 500 so that the camera 500 pans to the right by a predetermined angle. Further, for example, when different portions between the two partial images are the right side portion and the upper side portion, the second camera adjustment unit 216 controls panning of the camera 500 so that the camera 500 pans to the right side by a predetermined angle. At the same time, the tilt of the camera 500 is controlled so that the camera 500 tilts upward by a predetermined angle.
After S305, the process returns to S301.

  On the other hand, if the determination result in S304 is Yes, then the second camera adjustment unit 216 subsequently acquires the reference image acquired in S302 based on the information on the second frame area read from the frame area information storage unit 220. Is compared with the partial image of the second frame region in the monitoring image acquired in S303 to determine whether the partial images are the same (S306). For example, if the entire exhibited vehicle in the monitoring image is included in the internal region surrounded by the second frame region in the monitoring image, the determination result in S306 is Yes, and one of the exhibited vehicles in the monitoring image is displayed. When the part overlaps a part of the second frame region in the monitoring image, the determination result in S306 is No.

  If the determination result in S306 is No, the process ends and returns. In this case, the exhibited vehicle in the monitoring image is included in the internal region surrounded by the first frame region in the monitoring image, and a part of the exhibited vehicle in the monitoring image is in the second frame region in the monitoring image. That is, the tilt, pan, and zoom of the camera 500 are adjusted so as to overlap with a part of the image. In addition, as described above, the exhibited vehicle is photographed by the camera 500 adjusted in this manner, and as described above, the photographed image is too small for the vehicle in the image or protrudes from the image. In other words, the image is of a size that allows the entire vehicle to fit within the image and that the auction participants can fully check the appearance of the vehicle.

On the other hand, if the determination result in S306 is Yes, the second camera adjustment unit 216 sets the variable N to 3 (S307).
Subsequently, the second camera adjustment unit 216, based on the information of the Nth frame region read from the frame region information storage unit 220, the partial image of the Nth frame region in the reference image acquired in S302, The partial image of the Nth frame area in the monitoring image acquired in S303 is compared, and it is determined whether or not the partial images are the same (S308). For example, when the entire exhibited vehicle in the monitoring image is included in the internal region surrounded by the Nth frame region in the monitoring image, the determination result in S308 is Yes, and one of the exhibited vehicles in the monitoring image is displayed. If the part overlaps a part of the Nth frame region in the monitoring image, the determination result in S308 is No.

When the determination result in S308 is No, the second camera adjustment unit 216 controls the tilt and pan of the camera 500 according to the position of a different part between the two partial images, and at the N-1th in the monitoring image. The zoom of the camera 500 is controlled so that the size of the partial image of the inner region surrounded by the frame region becomes the size of the partial image of the inner region surrounded by the first frame region in the monitoring image (S309). . For example, when N = 3 and a different part between the two partial images is the right part, the second camera adjustment unit 216 pans the camera 500 so that the camera 500 pans to the right by a predetermined angle. While controlling, the size of the partial image of the internal region surrounded by the second (= 3-1) frame region in the monitoring image is the size of the partial image of the internal region surrounded by the first frame region in the monitoring image. The zoom of the camera 500 is controlled so that For example, when N = 4 and different portions between the two partial images are the right portion and the upper portion, the second camera adjustment unit 216 causes the camera 500 to pan to the right by a predetermined angle. The pan of the camera 500 is controlled, the tilt of the camera 500 is controlled so that the camera 500 tilts upward by a predetermined angle, and an internal area surrounded by a third (= 4-1) frame area in the monitoring image The zoom of the camera 500 is controlled so that the size of the partial image becomes the size of the partial image in the internal region surrounded by the first frame region in the monitoring image.
After S309, the process returns to S301.

  On the other hand, if the determination result in S308 is Yes, the second camera adjustment unit 216 sets the variable N to N + 1 (S310), and the process returns to S308.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of a part of the camera fine adjustment processing illustrated in FIG. 12.
In FIG. 13, the reference image 801 is an example of the reference image acquired in S <b> 302, and the monitoring image 802 is an example of the monitoring image acquired in S <b> 303.

  In this case, in S304, based on the information of the first frame region 811 read from the frame region information storage unit 220, the partial image of the first frame region 811 in the reference image 801 and the first image in the monitoring image 802 are displayed. Are compared with the partial image of the frame region 811 to determine whether or not the partial images are the same.

Here, since the partial images are the same, the determination result in S304 is Yes.
Thereafter, in S306, based on the information of the second frame region 812 read from the frame region information storage unit 220, the partial image of the second frame region 812 in the reference image 801 and the second image in the monitoring image 802 are displayed. The partial image of the frame area 812 is compared, and it is determined whether or not the partial images are the same.

Again, since the partial images are the same, the determination result in S306 is Yes.
Thereafter, in S308, based on the information of the third frame region 813 read from the frame region information storage unit 220, the partial image of the third frame region 813 in the reference image 801 and the third image in the monitoring image 802 are displayed. The partial images in the frame area 813 are compared, and it is determined whether or not the partial images are the same.

  Here, in the monitoring image 802, since a part of the exhibited vehicle and a part of the third frame region 813 overlap, the partial images of both are not the same, and the determination result in S308 is No. In this case, in subsequent S309, since N = 3 and the different part between the two partial images is the right part, panning of the camera 500 is controlled so that the camera 500 pans to the right by a predetermined angle, The size of the partial image of the internal region surrounded by the second (= 3-1) frame region 812 in the monitoring image 802 is the size of the partial image of the internal region surrounded by the first frame region 811 in the monitoring image 802. Thus, the zoom of the camera 500 is controlled.

  In the example shown in FIG. 13, the outer dimensions of the first frame region 811 are equal to the image sizes of the reference image 801 and the monitoring image 802, and the inner diameter of the first frame region 811 is equal to the second frame. The outer dimension of the region 812 is equal, and the inner diameter of the second frame region 812 is equal to the outer dimension of the third frame region 813. However, the size of each frame region is not limited to this, and at least the first frame region, the second frame region, and the third frame region in order of increasing size of each frame region (for example, inner diameter size). ... it may be the Nth frame region.

  As described above, according to the photographing apparatus 200 according to the present embodiment, since the adjustment of the camera 500 can be automatically performed, the adjustment work of the camera 500 by the manual operation of the worker becomes unnecessary, and the burden on the worker is reduced. be able to. Thereby, the time required for adjusting the camera 500 can also be shortened.

  In addition, when the camera 500 is controlled to tilt, pan, and zoom by camera fine adjustment processing (see S107 in FIG. 8 and FIG. 12), photographing (S108 in FIG. 8) is performed, so that the photographed image becomes The vehicle in the image is not too small relative to the size of the image or protrudes from the image, but the size is such that the entire vehicle fits in the image reasonably and the auction participants can fully check the appearance of the vehicle. It can be an image. Thereby, for example, when the image is displayed on a large screen or the like provided at the auction hall, the image is easy to see, so that the bid at the auction is activated and the closing rate can be improved.

  Further, the processing related to the operation of the control unit 210 of the photographing apparatus 200 shown in FIG. 8 can be realized by software as will be described later with reference to FIG. For example, it is possible to suppress the introduction of additional equipment such as a sensor for detecting entry, stop, or the like of the vehicle.

Note that the imaging apparatus 200 according to the present embodiment can be modified as follows.
In the operation example shown in FIG. 8, when the worker inputs the exhibition number, the camera rough adjustment process (S103) is performed in accordance with the input. For example, when the worker inputs the reference type 1 and the reference type 2 corresponding to the exhibition vehicle to be photographed, the camera rough adjustment process may be performed according to the input (Modification 1). . At this time, on the display screen of the output unit (display unit) included in the input / output unit 230 of the photographing apparatus 200, a selectable reference type 1 option (ordinary vehicle, truck, etc.) and a reference type 2 option (A , B, C, etc.), and the operator may select an option corresponding to the exhibited vehicle to be photographed, and the input may be performed. Note that the selection of options in this case is performed via an input unit included in the input / output unit 230, for example. Accordingly, in the camera rough adjustment process, it is not necessary to refer to the exhibition vehicle information table (see FIG. 4) and the vehicle type master table (see FIG. 5). For example, the exhibition vehicle information table and the vehicle type master table can be dispensed with. .

  Alternatively, for example, when the worker inputs the vehicle height, the vehicle width, and the total length of the exhibition vehicle to be photographed, the camera rough adjustment process may be performed according to the input (Modification 2). Thereby, in the camera rough adjustment process, it is not necessary to refer to the exhibited vehicle information table, and for example, the exhibited vehicle information table can be dispensed with.

  Alternatively, for example, when a worker inputs a manufacturer code and a vehicle type code corresponding to an exhibition vehicle to be photographed, a camera rough adjustment process may be performed according to the input (Modification 3). Thereby, in the camera rough adjustment process, it is not necessary to refer to the exhibited vehicle information table, and for example, the exhibited vehicle information table can be dispensed with.

  Alternatively, for example, when a worker inputs a manufacturer name and a vehicle model name corresponding to an exhibition vehicle to be photographed, camera rough adjustment processing may be performed according to the input (Modification 4).

  Alternatively, for example, the operation example illustrated in FIG. 8 may be combined with one or more of the above-described Modifications 1 to 4 (Modification 5). For example, when the operation example shown in FIG. 8 and Modification 1 are combined, when an exhibition number is input by an operator, the camera rough adjustment processing is performed according to the exhibition number as shown in FIG. When the reference type 1 and the reference type 2 are input by the worker, the camera rough adjustment process may be performed according to the reference type 1 and the reference type 2 as described in the first modification. . Thus, for example, for a special vehicle (special vehicle such as a welfare vehicle) whose information is not included in the exhibition vehicle information table and the vehicle type master table, the reference type 1 and the reference type 2 corresponding to the vehicle are operated. The user can input the rough camera adjustment process for the special vehicle.

  Further, the photographing apparatus 200 according to the present embodiment may be realized by the following computer system.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of the computer system.
As shown in FIG. 14, this computer system has a CPU 901, a ROM 902, a RAM 903, a communication interface 904, a storage device 905, an input / output device 906, a portable storage medium reader 907, and all of them connected. Includes bus 908.

  As the storage device 905, various types of storage devices such as a hard disk and a magnetic disk can be used. A program or the like is stored in the storage device 905 or the ROM 902. When the program is executed by the CPU 901, the vehicle information acquisition unit 211, the camera information acquisition unit 212, the reference image acquisition unit 213, the monitoring image acquisition unit 214, the first camera adjustment unit 215, and the second control unit 210 of the control unit 210 are executed. 2 camera adjustment unit 216 and the like are realized, and operations performed by the control unit 210 (for example, operations in the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 8, 11, and 12) are realized. The storage device 905 or the ROM 902 also stores information stored in the frame area information storage unit 220.

  The program may be stored in, for example, the storage device 905 from the program provider terminal device 909 via the network 910 and the communication interface 904 and executed by the CPU 901. Alternatively, it may be stored in a commercially available portable storage medium 911, set in the reading device 907, and executed by the CPU 901. The portable storage medium 911 may be any of various types of storage media such as a CD-ROM, a flexible disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a DVD disk, and a USB memory.

  The input / output device 906 includes an input device such as a keyboard, a pointing device, and a touch panel, and an output device such as a display, a printer, and a speaker, and corresponds to the input / output unit 230.

  Although the embodiment has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Imaging system 200 Imaging device 210 Control part 211 Vehicle information acquisition part 212 Camera information acquisition part 213 Reference image acquisition part 214 Monitoring image acquisition part 215 1st camera adjustment part 216 2nd camera adjustment part 220 Frame area information storage part 230 Input / output unit 300 Vehicle DB
400 Image DB
500 Camera 600 Shooting Studio 610, 620 Arrow 710 Monitoring Image 720 Reference Image 801 Reference Image 802 Monitoring Image 811 First Frame Area 812 Second Frame Area 813 Third Frame Area 901 CPU
902 ROM
903 RAM
904 Communication interface 905 Storage device 906 Input / output device 907 Portable storage medium reader 908 Bus 909 Program provider terminal 910 Network 911 Portable storage medium

Claims (10)

A vehicle information acquisition unit for acquiring vehicle information of a vehicle to be imaged by an imaging unit provided at a predetermined position;
A first adjustment unit that performs rough adjustment of the photographing unit based on the vehicle information acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit;
A vehicle in the captured image captured by the capturing unit is included in an internal region surrounded by a first frame region in the captured image, and a part of the vehicle in the captured image is in the first image in the captured image. A second adjustment unit that performs fine adjustment of the photographing unit so as to overlap a part of a second frame region smaller than the frame region;
An imaging apparatus comprising: A setting information acquisition unit for acquiring setting information of the photographing unit;
A reference image acquisition unit that acquires a reference image corresponding to the setting information acquired by the setting information acquisition unit;
Further comprising
The reference image is a photographed image photographed by the photographing unit based on corresponding setting information and does not include a vehicle in the image,
The second adjustment unit includes a partial image of the first frame region in the reference image acquired by the reference image acquisition unit, and a partial image of the first frame region in the captured image captured by the imaging unit. And the partial image of the second frame region in the reference image acquired by the reference image acquisition unit and the portion of the second frame region in the captured image captured by the imaging unit Fine adjustment of the shooting unit so that it differs from the image,
The photographing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The vehicle information includes information on the outer dimensions of the vehicle,
The setting information includes information on pan, tilt, and zoom values of the photographing unit.
Claim 2 Symbol placement of the imaging device, characterized in that. The first adjustment unit controls at least one of pan, tilt, and zoom of the photographing unit to perform rough adjustment of the photographing unit,
The second adjustment unit performs fine adjustment of the imaging unit by controlling at least one of pan, tilt, and zoom of the imaging unit.
The photographing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein To the computer that is a photographing device,
Obtain vehicle information of the vehicle to be imaged by the imaging unit provided at a predetermined position,
Based on the vehicle information, coarse adjustment of the photographing unit,
A vehicle in the captured image captured by the capturing unit is included in an internal region surrounded by a first frame region in the captured image, and a part of the vehicle in the captured image is in the first image in the captured image. Fine adjustment of the photographing unit so as to overlap with a part of the second frame area smaller than the frame area,
A program characterized by causing processing to be executed. In the computer that is the photographing device,
Get the setting information of the shooting unit,
Obtaining a reference image corresponding to the setting information;
Further processing,
The reference image is a photographed image photographed by the photographing unit based on corresponding setting information and does not include a vehicle in the image,
In the fine adjustment of the photographing unit, the partial image of the first frame region in the reference image and the partial image of the first frame region in the photographed image photographed by the photographing unit are the same, and The fine adjustment of the photographing unit is performed so that the partial image of the second frame region in the reference image is different from the partial image of the second frame region in the photographed image photographed by the photographing unit.
6. The program according to claim 5, wherein: The vehicle information includes information on the outer dimensions of the vehicle,
The setting information includes information on pan, tilt, and zoom values of the photographing unit.
The program according to claim 6 . In the coarse adjustment of the photographing unit, one or more of pan, tilt, and zoom of the photographing unit is controlled to perform rough adjustment of the photographing unit,
In the fine adjustment of the photographing unit, fine adjustment of the photographing unit is performed by controlling one or more of pan, tilt, and zoom of the photographing unit.
The program according to any one of claims 5 to 7, characterized in that: The computer that is the imaging device
Obtain vehicle information of the vehicle to be imaged by the imaging unit provided at a predetermined position,
Based on the vehicle information, coarse adjustment of the photographing unit,
A vehicle in the captured image captured by the capturing unit is included in an internal region surrounded by a first frame region in the captured image, and a part of the vehicle in the captured image is in the first image in the captured image. Fine adjustment of the photographing unit so as to overlap with a part of the second frame area smaller than the frame area,
An imaging method characterized by executing processing. The computer that is the photographing device is:
Get the setting information of the shooting unit,
Obtaining a reference image corresponding to the setting information;
Perform further processing,
The reference image is a photographed image photographed by the photographing unit based on corresponding setting information and does not include a vehicle in the image,
In the fine adjustment of the photographing unit, the partial image of the first frame region in the reference image and the partial image of the first frame region in the photographed image photographed by the photographing unit are the same, and The fine adjustment of the photographing unit is performed so that the partial image of the second frame region in the reference image is different from the partial image of the second frame region in the photographed image photographed by the photographing unit.
The imaging method according to claim 9.